The following includes information that may be useful in understanding the present disclosure. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art nor material to the presently described or claimed inventions, nor that any publication or document that is specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to the field of bodies and tops for land vehicles of existing art and more specifically relates to land-vehicle tops, capable of a vertical lifting movement, having enclosing panels solely supported by a camper-body roof.
Related Art
Tonneau covers, bed toppers, and similar enclosures are useful to provide security and weather protection for items being transported in the cargo bed of a pickup truck. Unfortunately, tonneau covers limit the size of items that can be transported and toppers are heavy and difficult to install and remove from the pickup truck bed when not required. A selectively extendable tonneau structure that may be easily opened to form an enclosed topper (camper) and readily collapsed when not in use to cover the pickup truck bed at a level below the rear window of the truck cab would benefit many.
Prior attempts have been made to address the above-noted problems; for example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,209,944 to Billiu et al. relates to a stowable truck bed enclosure. The described stowable truck bed enclosure includes a stowable top or cover mounted on an open bed of a truck, such as a pickup truck, using lift frames and actuators in a manner to be raised above the bed. The cover and lift frames include attachment channels for connecting a flexible tent-like enclosure thereto such that the enclosure can be attached thereto after the cover is raised. The flexible enclosure can comprise a camper enclosure that encloses the truck bed and also optionally can extend beyond the truck bed to form additional sitting and sleeping rooms supported on separate portable tent-type posts and platforms. A flexible awning enclosure can be attached to the raised cover and lift frames to form an awning that extends beyond the truck bed supported on separate tent-type posts to provide a covered area for on-site work/commercial/recreational activities. An office enclosure can be attached to the raised cover and lift frames to form an office or meeting room where job-site work/meetings and the like can be conducted protected from the weather. The apparatus of Billiu et al. has several disadvantages in that the flexible enclosure of must be installed after raising the cover and must be removed before operation of the vehicle.